Stowaway
by angel-with-a-scythe
Summary: RikuSora yaoi. Sora is a content islander, but what happens when pirates dock and steal from Sora's family and, trying to get the items back, Sora is trapped on the boat as it sets sail? And who is the silver haired man that seems to steal his heart?
1. Chapter 1

Scythe: Yes, Ladies and gentlemen, I have decided to write a Kingdom Hearts story- but what is more; it is an AU with Pirates. I know it sounds maybe cheesy or comedic, but I assure you this is a serious fic, and I won't disappoint... hopefully... sheepish smile

Pairings: Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud (Maybe...)

Warnings: Yaoi, duh. May be depressing at times? A little bit of OOCness somewhere along the line, I'm sure. Bear with me. You can't say I warned you, and if I hear ANY complaints in my reviews about them being OOC, I really will be pissed (I can't really threaten or anything because all I can do is type furiously at you). AU... AU... AU... did I mention that this fic, the one you're about to read, the one that you will be delving into, is AU? Good... One last thing: not the best fic to be reading if you're a Kairi lover... yeah...

Terra Currency of this time period (along with gold pieces).

**Stowaway**

Chapter One

Fantastic was the day indeed. The Bay of Destiny was like a spectacular array of gold and jewels as the sun beat down upon it this afternoon. To the left was a vast bout of cliff, jutting from the water towards the sky, only to be beat down by the continual flow of waves just at the tip. To the right was a stretch of beautiful, but deceiving beach and lush thickets of dense tropical forest, but even the beach came to an end with another set of cliffs. The bay was quiet, shielded from the vast outside water force by the cliffs of Mhr, but once you passed those cliffs, it was a battle of the elements. This, however, did not stop the flow of ships that seemed to be increasing with every New Year (although, this definitely meant good business for the island dwellers).

Since the thrill of exploration had taken so many, there had been a burst in traveling, thus there had been an explosion of technology, even on this relatively small island. Even though it took a full week to get from one end of the island to the other by way of horse, the island was still the smallest of its stretch, but that just lured more people, ironically. People often sought to go to places in which there might be a possibility that something could still be undiscovered.

To this, Sora, a young, growing teen of 17, had to laugh. He sat perched upon a cluster of well eroded rocks in a small bay of The Bay that only he seemed to know of... which was fantastic. Often he came to rid himself of the corruption he found in the Port in which he lived. Since the small town was on the bay, it was the largest on the island and thus, the most disgusting, in his opinion, but his parents were becoming decently wealthy off of the profits they were making by selling merchandise. His father sold fish and breads and exotic island fruits-a big hit, and his mother often made trinkets, jewelry, blankets and clothes for all seasons. As if to prove their wealth to their own son, his parents had bought him a horse for his 17th birthday, and what a beautiful horse it was. It was white, with a long, but graceful mane, and tuffs of hair that fell over its hooves from its ankles. Its body was powerful, and indeed he took wonderful care of it and, in fact, he'd gotten several frantic offers for the horse from travelers who had offered ridiculously hefty prices. Alas, Sora had become so attached to the large animal so much that he had turned down every offer without hesitation.

The boy stood, stretching his lithe, yet defined limbs out into the delicious sea breeze as a small wind picked up, coasting through his spiky, untamable brown hair. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing beautiful orbs of cerulean that fell to gaze upon the incoming ships at the port. There were only a few docked today, as many had left this morning, but Sora secretly wished that they would all stop coming. Moving to happier thoughts, Sora plastered a grin onto his face and turned towards his pride and joy, leaping off the rocks with practiced grace and walking to the powerful steed.

"Let's go, girl," said the chestnut haired boy, heaving a pouch filled with fresh fruits onto his back and jumping up onto his white beauty, but he couldn't help look back at the incoming ships... His eyes fell upon a particularly interesting looking one- one he had never seen before in style and color. It was dark, and its sails were slightly tattered. To him and his strange, island suspicions, that definitely screamed ominous, but he couldn't finish the thought, his horse becoming skittish and eager to move so he patted her neck and made a soft, clicking noise with his mouth and they were off.

It only took a little while to get back to the town with the fruits. He immediately delivered them to his parents who immediately sent him out to relay a message to a family friend on the outskirts of the town, and of course he would go deliver it, for he knew the message was about the coming of his 18th birthday. The whole island was practically invited, minus the travelers. Honestly, though, he didn't really feel like delivering it just yet. He figured he could go talk with his old friend Selphie first.

Best friends they had been from what seemed like day one. With the Terra that Sora had been saving since his eleventh birthday to buy himself a horse, he had bought Selphie one since his parents had gotten one for him. Granted, it wasn't as spectacular as _his_ horse, but he'd bought it himself, without the help of his parents, and that, to Selphie, was more than she could ask. She almost didn't take the animal because she knew how much they cost on this island, but Sora assured her that he couldn't get a refund and that he wouldn't be able to get the money back or take care of two horses so she guiltily accepted, but it couldn't have been a better choice. She took such good care of horse, as did Sora, and soon their horses were known as the most beautiful on the island. But Sora and Selphie did not understand why the foreigners thought this way, for the girl thought her horse most beautiful for its personality and love, and Sora the same. It had nothing to do with appearance or how strong they were (which is always what travelers based their opinions on).

In addition, Sora and Selphie delighted in racing along the path on the outskirts of town, and, of course, that is exactly what the brown haired boy felt like doing. He needed to get away from this place as often as possible and his horse a little work out as well. A good run would keep it strong and healthy.

"Don't worry, girl. Even if Selphie can't come out and play, I'll still take you for a run."

"Hoist that damn anchor! Get off your lazy ass and help out around here, damn it. The Captain ain't happy with your production rate so hurry it up already, will ye?"

The other ship mate looked at him, raising a brow in disbelief. First of all, he _was_ helping, unlike that little freeloader giving him orders, and second of all, he was standing, his arms full, so he didn't really understand the 'get off your lazy ass' part of the one-sided conversation. Rolling his eyes, the blonde mate shrugged it off and just concentrated on _not_ punching the living daylights out of the stupid newbie of a crew member that thought he was boss.

Sure enough, that stupid man kept bellowing orders, much to his dismay, but his dismay stand corrected as an air of power suddenly washed over him. There, on the quarterdeck, stood the real brains of the ship-the first mate. His sinfully shining hair blew across his face with the sudden wind and he gently raised a hand to move the delicate silver strands from his eyes- the eyes that currently fell upon the idiot giving orders as if he owned the place. If Cloud didn't know any better, he could have said that that look could kill.

"How about you leave the orders to the Captain and me, Jeanne (1)?" Came his cold voice, far greater than that of the voice said Jeanne was using to dish out orders. Jeanne tensed and turned to look upon the face of death upon the quarter deck.

"E-excuse me...par excellence (2)... Riku sir. I just got a little excited, that's all," replied Jeanne, cowering slightly. Riku stared at him, unfaltering.

"See to it that it doesn't happen again." And with that, he turned away for some unattended business. He knew his men could dock a ship. All he had to do was give the order.

Jeanne glowered at his retreating back and gritted his teeth. One day, he would _kill_ that snotty brat, and one day he would take the damned ship from his stupid brother, the Captain Sephiroth, and one day, everyone would listen to _him_.

Cloud, having seen the whole thing, just snickered and continued his task on the Port side of the ship, tying this and moving that, and, satisfied, he saw Jeanne begrudgingly start to help.

Once they were docked, the boys cheered and clasped hands, excited to finally have hit land after the three week-long journey at the roughest seas. They'd almost lost a few in the midst, which would have been terrible since they were short handed as it was, but pushing all that aside, they set out to their rooms to gather what they could of their money.

Riku stepped gracefully down from the quarterdeck, where he had just finished with his brother. Frustrated, but tolerant, he moved to the latched flat door that led to the below cabins and called for Kairi who often mopped and cooked and was basically the house-keeper of the boat. They had picked her up along the way by accident (one of the mates asked her to come with them when he was drunk), but they couldn't cast her away once they realized she was onboard with him, and she was actually making herself useful most of the time. It was generally unheard of-to have a woman on board- it was bad luck... But Riku disliked her for different reasons. He disliked her because she reminded him of his brother Sephiroth. Not only that, but she also liked to get awfully close to the first mate whenever she could, but he found her repulsive.

She was not ugly, by any means, nor smelly, but her personality reeked of underlying evil, and she was extremely obnoxious (she had a knack for showing up at the most inopportune of times).

That was all unimportant at the moment, though. Now descended, the silver haired mate called to the only female aboard the ship.

"Kairi! The Captain's got a job for you."

She emerged all too quickly and too eagerly at his voice and immediately penetrated his comfort bubble. He withdrew, making to climb the ladder back to the surface of the boat, but looked over his shoulder at the girl.

"Captain says get an inquiry of all the supplies, and then report the list to me. I'm going to send you with the crew to get the supplies. Your job- regulate and make sure we get everything we need, got it?"

"Got it, sir."

"Good." He said, thinking better of his decision to go up to the surface, and instead, he called out to the crew in their cabins. "All of you listen up. Captain wants to be off this island before dawn" Several groans of protest. "Hush, hear me out. You're all off to get supplies, but as soon as you're done you can go and do whatever the hell it is you want to do." Cheers-they were so predictable. "But if you aren't back here before dawn, we're leaving you, got it?"

"Yes sir," came the unsynchronized, none too heartfelt reply. He just laughed. They were all friends on this boat, so it wasn't as formal as many other ships that sailed. These guys were special. They were all skillful in everything they did-some better at other things than others and vise versa-and all knew exactly where they wanted to be and it was on that damn boat. Sure, their way of life wasn't the safest, or the easiest, but it sure as hell was the most profitable.

Yes, being a pirate was profitable as hell... if everything went right, of course. Tonight, they would make light of this island and set sail for the next, collecting all the booty they could until they reached their destination... Although, Riku thought, narrowing his eyes, no one knew that destination except for the Captain...

Now up on top, he was brought out of his thoughts by an obnoxiously boisterous girl. Had he been staring off into nothingness this entire time? Kairi was shoving the list into his hands and brushing their fingers together none too discreetly, but he immediately countered with a dashing smile that stunned her momentarily-enough so that he could turn and take the list to the Captain.

Within minutes he was back and gave the list to her. She giggled and bounced off.

"Scavenger hunt!" She cheered. Riku just shook his head and rubbed his temples softly; standing and looking over the port side of the boat, he watching his crew members go off into the marketplace to collect supplies. Only when they were out of sight did he leave the boat himself. He loved his crew members, but sometimes he just wanted to be alone for a little while.

He ended up cruising along through the city towards the outskirts. He liked nature a lot and found himself at quiet peace there. Given, it was no sea of water, but it still calmed him, unlike the rush and tension of the city. Despite himself, he did enjoy drinking and the entertainment the city sometimes provided, but there was nothing like a calm walk along a quiet tropical road. The sounds of the many birds and swish of the leaves rubbing together as the wind made them dance so scandalously amongst one another and the sound of hooves in the distance.

Hooves?

He was jolted out of his wonderland by the sudden sound of beautiful laughter amongst the sound of the horses running, but out of habit, he hid amongst the dense thicket of greenery not far off the path. He watched as the most stunning sight unfolded before him. It was as if time slowed when that boy came around the corner riding the purest of white horses, with the purest of laughter, and the purest of cerulean eyes that rivaled the tropical sea in color. He turned his horse, letting it prance gracefully before turning her around to once again take off. Riku suddenly felt the urge to defile and taint that disgustingly, yet magnificently pure boy with his wild brown locks and deliciously lithe body. And those eyes... gods those eyes. He could get lost in them if he wasn't careful.

As he passed, the boy's face suddenly slowly fell, his eyes locking with Riku's. His heart skipped a beat, eyes widening slightly when he realized he had been seen, but the boy kept going, although slowing slightly, turning his head around to the other side, and slowing to a stop eventually, as if he would get a better look at what he'd seen,. But exactly _how_ had he been seen? He hadn't even noticed the other before, but as she came up to him and stopped as well, she glanced over in his direction, but she did not see him.

"What's up Sora?"

"Nothing... I... I just thought I saw something. Let's go."

Sora? Was that his name? It was cute...

Sure that they were gone, he slowly emerged from the bushes, all thoughts of seeking tranquility with nature blown clear out of his mind as he headed back to the ship in a sprint. He had to convince his brother to let them stay for a few nights and delay the plundering, he just had to! Some way or another, by force or not, he would have that boy and be satisfied.

...But his brother denied him, completely and utterly denied him. Bereft, he slowly mad his way towards the pubs to wash away his anger and sorrow.

Laughing softly, Cloud slung his arm around a stoic Leon and poked him in the ribs with his other hand, which wasn't even free, holding a pint of beer. It was obvious that he was drunk. His speech was slightly slurred, and he was giggling and clinging to Leon. Usually, the two were abrasive like no other pair, and absolutely hated each other, but even Leon was buzzed and didn't seem to mind much, a small smile gracing his face. The blond was saying something completely ridiculous that made no sense to anyone, and they all just laughed because Leon was cracking, like he always did when they drank.

Even Jeanne was pleasant when he was drunk. He was happy and carefree and actually enjoyable to be around, making great conversation and jest. And then there was Wakka and Tidus. The entire crew teased them about being lovers since they were so close-best friends at that- but there was nothing between them, and they joked along, sometimes saying things that would incriminate them of being just that, just to fuel the fire of the joke... and it was especially humorous when they were drunk.

The door to the pub slammed open, but not many looked, too drunk to care. It was Riku, looking sullen and downtrodden. Joining the group, he ordered his first beer that night and immediately came the onslaught of drunk teasing.

"Aw, Riku. Looks like someone just shot your new puppy," slurred Tidus, giggling softly after.

"Might as well have," said he, resting his cheek on his now crossed arms upon the table.

"Oh yeah?" asked Cloud, blinking a bit and tilting his head, then decided against it as it sent his head into a spin.

"Yeah..." the first mate sighed, closing his eyes.

"You only get this way when you don't get what you want," came Leon's smooth voice, earning a glare from Riku.

"You make me sound like a pompous prick."

"You can be." Leon growled. Though he loosened up when he was drunk, so did his ability to control himself.

"I'll forgive you because you're drunk." Riku said, not in the mood to deal with any degrading words or arguments. "No more drinks; sober up. We're setting sail tonight, if you don't remember, and I won't have any of you ruining our intake tonight because you're drunk off your ass." His voice lowered. "Remember, you don't come back with anything, you don't come back at all. We all agreed on that when we started this crew, and we'll finish it that way too, got it?"

"Of course," they all said, as seriously as they could in their tipsy states.

"Good," Riku finished, downing his beer and staring at the wooden table in thought while the rest of them started their conversations up again. Nothing really relevant, and nothing that he had to get angry over, like that one time where _someone_ had slipped up and said a little too loud how much he loved being a pirate. Notwithstanding, he had to smile at the memory.

For hours they stayed in that pub, enjoying the live music and just chatting with one another until they all sobered up enough to concentrate on the task at hand.

It was time for plundering.

Sora poked his head into his house, looking for his parents, but what he found could hardly be considered as such. His parents were celebrating for some reason, and were very, very, very drunk. He just smiled sheepishly as they spotted him and, again gave him a task to perform.

"Could you go ahead and put all the merchandise away honey?" his mother said, smiling and laughing softly.

Then his father piped up, "I already put most of my stuff away, son, I think all you have left is to bring in the fruits!"

"Right, but what are you all so happy about?" He asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"Oh, some crew came and bought a huge supply of food from your father! It was really so exciting! They had the cutest little girl with them!" She was so overly peppy when she was drunk, but he loved her very much.

"She wasn't that little, darling. She must have been a little younger than Sora's age!"

They disputed this and he just shook his head, and smiled, tired of listening to their slurred speech. He brought in the fruits first, telling them he'd wrap them once he was done, but they didn't even seem to notice him.

Sighing he stepped back out into the night and nearly jumped when his horse nudged him.

"Oh! Gods, you scared me. I'm so sorry, I should have put you away first, Ashlin," he whispered to his horse. He hadn't realized how late it was until now, looking up at the stars and shaking his head. "Where did all that time go, huh? Come on then, lets get you all tucked in."

He led her to the stable out back and smiled, giving her a bunch of love and cooing in some sort of made up horse language to her before he stretched and rubbed his neck, closing the door to the stable. He stayed for a moment, just leaning against the door, realizing how terribly tired he was.

Well, the sooner he got this done, the better, then. With more effort than it should have required, he pushed himself off the door and moved quietly towards the rest of the merchandise to be put back... only to get a rude, rude awakening. He froze by the corner of the house, watching as some... some _guy_ was grabbing all of his mother's hard work and started running! That little-! He quickly set off into a sprint after him, but that little devil was really fast, even carrying all that stuff! He was too tired, didn't have enough energy, but he kept running. He would get that stuff back for his mother, no matter what!

To his horror, the thief ran up the docks and onto a ship, but not just any ship- that blasted ship that was like an omen! So it _was_ an omen then... He groaned and, unbelieving of himself, began to sneak around and grabbed hold of the plank, pulling himself up slowly. He had some time right? They probably wouldn't leave until after sunrise, like the rest of the other boats... Yeah, he could do this. In and out swiftly, get the stuff for his mom, no problems.

Gazing around, he spotted no one in sight and crawled onto the ship completely, setting his foot down softly onto the squeaky boards of the ship. There didn't appear to be anyone on board other than the guy that was taking his stuff down into the ship. That was good news for him. As quietly as a mouse and as brave as a lion, despite his thundering heart, he peered down into the hole in which the thief had disappeared.

That jerk.

He listened carefully, and when he decided that there was no one else but that man, he clambered down the ladder and slinked through the cabin hall, pressing himself against the walls, as if he could become one with them. The sway of the boat, although subtle and soft, still made him all the more aware that he was on a boat and that this was extremely dangerous, but that didn't deter him too much. He saw the guy now... the boy, rather, and watched as he set the stuff fin plain view-perfect-then stretched his arms and rubbed his hands together.

"That's a job well done."

Sora felt the insane urge to mock him like a child, repeating the words in a snotty, nasally tone, but he refrained, knowing his place at the moment. He waited, concealed in the shadows of clutter awaiting the small blonde's ascent up the ladder. He quickly dashed from his hiding spot and grabbed a nearby bag, shoving the stuff into it and slinging it around himself, quickly making a dash for the ladder, but when he got there, his eyes widened in terror.

There were voices-other voices that were getting closer! He panicked and quickly ran to the back of the tiny hallway, looking for a place to hide. His chest began to heave softly, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow for some place to hide, but it seemed all hope would be lost. Turning, he saw a foot on the ladder, and laughing voices as it began to descend. His heart hammered in his chest, threatening to explode, and he quickly did a second check of the shadows, desperate for any way to hide.

The voices were getting louder and, as if on cue, he spotted the only possible hiding place in the corner behind two barrels. He quickly scuffled on top of them, slipping into the corner and pulling some blankets and things over his head quickly, concealing him self.

And he waited, panting, looking at nothing in particular, just concentrating on the voices and what they were saying, the pack still over his shoulder, but he didn't notice that right now. All he could think about was being caught. He'd heard the terrible stories about what people did when they caught stowaways! Wait... He wasn't a stowaway per se. He just came to get his stuff back.

It went quiet all of a sudden and he swallowed hard, alarmed, eyes widening, waiting for anything.

Then he heard voices on deck and he sighed in relief. They'd gone back up the steps while he had been freaking out. He couldn't really tell what was being said, but it sounded angry, and he heard feet shuffling above him. What in hell was he going to do? He should have just let him take the stuff when he'd seen him get onto this boat! Gods...

Wait until they're asleep, that's it! His mind suddenly chided. It was brilliant! Once they were asleep, he could sneak off the boat and everything would be fine. They probably wouldn't notice the stuff was gone until morning, right? He sighed and leaned back, feeling a bit better. Yeah, he'd come out of this just fine.

"Set sail!" faintly.

No... No... No way... No, he hadn't heard right.

"You heard him boys! We're taking off!" came a closer voice. His heart fell to his stomach.

No! _Don't_ set sail because _I'm_ here! He shut his eyes tightly. Think fast, Sora! Maybe if he just came out, they'd throw him off right then and there and not really care? He'd even let them have the stuff! He remembered the stories again... gods those scared him.

Okay, okay, think, Sora, think. Um... run up to the deck and jump into the water and swim back to shore? No, he couldn't risk the undertow pulling him back out to sea... or maybe they'd just shoot him while he was swimming? But wouldn't they shoot him anyways! He covered his face with his hands trying not to whimper in dread as all the possibilities ran through his mind with no optimistic solution. No, he had to go for it, no matter what. Alright... it was now or never.

He started to rise, slowly and peaked out from under the random booty covering his head. Seeing the coast clear, he was ready to toss the blanket and stuffs back and make a dash...

...or not...

Terror filled him. The mates were already coming down the ladder and groaning about how tired they were and some even going to their cots immediately, not saying a word. He slunk back down, covering his face again as tears began to fill his eyes. Had he wasted _that_ much time wondering what he should do, or were these sailors extremely fast at setting sail? He figured a mixture of both.

More importantly, though, was the fact that he had no clue what to do anymore. Tears slipped down his face slowly, but he remained quiet and thought of his parents and wondered when they would notice he was gone. He wondered about his horse and how he would ever get back to his home, and with these thoughts plaguing his mind, he fell into a troubled sleep, not to awaken until the next morning.

88

(1) Pronounced like John but with a soft J... shJ rather than Juh.

(2) Par excellence- basically... first mate head honcho next to Captain... aka _The_ mate.

Scythe: So? Personally I think this is going to turn out fan_tastic_ and I can't wait to see what all of you think. If you are wondering, Tidus was the thief that stole from Sora.


	2. Chapter 2

Scythe: So. Chapter two already hmm? It's freaking 4:36 in the morning right now... you all better be really grateful... I just had a freaking random muse attack. He came out of no where and was like: WRITE A KINGDOM HEARTS STORY ABOUT PIRATES... uh... ok mister muse. So I wrote the first chapter, and since I've still got my creative juices flowing, I'm starting on chapter two... Be grateful.

Warnings: read the first chapter warnings, plus don't expect this chapter to be super long like the other.

By the way: REVIEW, please!

Stowaway

Chapter 2

When he awoke the next morning, cramped and sore, he whimpered softly and tried to stretch, but the lurch that jolted him forward gave him a rude reminder of where he was. Sighing, Sora rubbed his face and swallowed hard, his throat dry and parched from panicked sleep. It had been rough and several times he had had dreams of leaving his home and never returning, or being killed by disgusting, ugly seamen.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and listened intently to his surroundings, but he heard nothing, so, assuming it was safe, he slowly lifted the blanket enough to peer out...

...and eyes greeted him back...

"Holy-!" The person stumbled back and immediately panicked, rushing to grab someone else and drag them down the steps to Sora. Adrenaline coursed through him immediately as he wondered what he should do, but too late, for the blanket was thrown back and he was ripped from his hiding spot. He curled in on himself and closed his eyes tight, yelping softly as he was yanked.

"The kid's trying to steal our plunder!" The one that grabbed him said incredulously. This made his eyes snap open and he glared, all fear forgotten as he corrected him.

"It's MY stuff. One of your-!"

"Stowaway! We got a stowaway!" And he found himself being dragged up the stairs and thrown mercilessly onto the deck floor at a circle of feet. He made a small, pained sound, sitting up and rubbing his arm gently.

"I-I'm not... I just..." he tried to explain.

"Silence," a soft, but very powerful and mature voice said, floating to his ears, and making him, indeed, silence himself. The bag of his mother's things had long since been yanked from him, tossed, forgotten, back down the hole from which they had come.

Biting his lip, afraid, he slowly looked up and saw long silver hair and chiseled face of what he assumed was probably the captain. Presently, he was not dressed like the others in tattered rags and sea clothes, but in finer sea garments that looked as if they had cost a fortune, thus leading him to these conclusions. They were all pretty standard looking with their sea tights and tattered shorts, but their clothes were dark, almost like they were matching the boat for some reason. He had to swallow hard and cower softly when the man reached out, and for good reason, too, for the Captain grabbed a fist full of his hair and jerked his head back, causing Sora to wince and hiss softly in pain. The man in command smirked and let him go, much to the brown haired boy's surprise.

"Fetch Riku from the quarterdeck and send Jeanne to steer instead," barked the tall man. Soon, that haunting gaze returned to him and he felt pressured under it. The entire crew snickered and laughed softly when the stowaway once again cowered from their Captain, who stepped towards him.

This didn't look too good, and if he couldn't get a word in, then they would never know the real reason he was there. He wasn't a stowaway! He bit his lip nervously, looking from the Captain to the other ship mates, about ten in all, surrounding him.

"Come now, what's all this commotion?" Another voice- from behind the Captain.

"Riku, this is our little stowaway." And as he said this, another silver haired person came into view and he looked up in fear, but when he saw the look on Riku's face, he almost stared laughing. Almost. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. His eyes were so...

His eyes... They were oddly familiar. However, that look soon disappeared, replaced by something else that he could not decipher, but it didn't look good.

His own eyes, however, lingered upon the second silver haired man, unable to bring himself to tear his gaze away; and the other locked eyes with him as well. It felt like there was some sort of... _something_ passed between them and it puzzled Sora greatly, for as hard as he tried, he could not take away his gaze. His stomach fluttered, making him all the more confused when he realized he suddenly felt nervous and flustered, and it showed as he tried to speak. His eyes took in the special appearance of this newcomer, noting the earrings that hung in his ears in three places, and finding them oddly attractive on the young man. Further along his gaze fell, taking in his lean and muscled figure, his tight white blouse shirt that bellowed at the sleeves only serving to make his carved body all the more apparent, and Sora found it abnormal that he should discover it so interestingly nice to look upon.

Anxious, the poor boy looked back up at his face, wondering if the young man had known he was staring, and it was a brainless question to ask himself for their eyes had been so heatedly locked earlier, and sure enough there was a smirk upon his face and the out of place little troublemaker found himself blushing under the watch.

Just as Sora was feeling these things, so Riku felt them towards the crouching stowaway. There had to be someone up there that loved him, for this was the exact boy that he had asked for the delay of the trip for, and that meant they would be spending quite a bit of time together (that is, if Sephiroth didn't take the poor boy back, but he would put a stop to that). He couldn't have imagined the young one looking more perfect than the vulnerable and frightened little mouse that was before him. A smirk graced his full lips, and the boy caught that simper and blushed immediately, only serving to satisfy the first mate. How jealous he would make the other mates when he claimed the small one before him for his own.

"What is your name?" asked Sephiroth, bringing them both from their wicked thoughts.

Sora hesitated, unsure as to why the captain would want his name if he was to die, as that was all he was thinking about since they had dragged him out of that stupid hiding place.

"Answer me, stowaway."

"U-uh... um... i-it's..." He stuttered, biting his lip and trying to gain his wits.

"Have you forgotten your own name? _Speak_."

"S-Sora! My name is Sora..." Sephiroth just looked at him, not saying anything, making the young one feel extremely uncomfortable and awkward. Although, it seemed Sora managed to gain a little bit of courage and tried to explain in vain:

"I-I j-just..." but silenced again was he by the Captain who leaned down, now, with a furious face.

"I rather dislike stowaways. Do you know what pirates do when they find stowaways on their ships?"

"Kill them?" Sora asked, catching Sephiroth off guard. The older silver haired adult definitely hadn't expected an actual response, but the fault was soon corrected as a hand came barreling down upon Sora's cheek which sent him sprawling onto the deck.

The blow had hit him so very hard he saw spots and stars, and he was sure there would be some sort of small bruise there, for he had felt worse, but not by much. The tall, ominous captain stared down at him, angry and frustrated with this little event.

"Sephiroth, my brother and Captain, will you not let the boy speak?" Riku asked, hoping not to sound as if he were trying to give orders. The other just looked at him, then back down at Sora in disgust.

"Very well." With a snap of the fingers, crewmen lifted the poor boy and presented him in a more formal fashion. "Speak."

"I-I'm not a stowaway." Sora said boldly, still having not lost his pride. "I came onto this ship to take back what is rightfully my family's." He pointed towards the shortest, and youngest, member of the crew, Tidus, with his short blonde hair and big eyes that blinked innocently. "He took my mother's work and ran onto this ship. I thought I could help my mother by getting back, but... you set sail and... I was... afrai-"

"I believe we have heard enough," the one called Riku said, waving him off slightly. He couldn't have any sob stories affecting anyone's judgment so that they would take him back to the island, now could he? "Captain, if I may, I will take care of this problem for now until we can speak on the matter." But Sephiroth seem not hear him, grabbing the boys chin and turning it to and fro.

"You, little boy, are very bold to come along board a pirate ship."

Pirates?

Sora's eyes widened visibly with fear, and to this the intrepid captain laughed.

"You are indeed a fine specimen, but look you not fit to be at sea."

Sora wasn't sure if he understood those words correctly, but he didn't care just yet.

"So... does that mean you'll take me back home?" He asked hopefully, giving the captain a cute look.

"Are you an imbecile? Of course not! I haven't the time or the patience, and why would I send back free manual labor? You may not be fit for the sea, boy, but I can _make_ you fit for it."

A growing look of panic struck the poor stowaway's face, his skin visibly paling, his eyes immediately falling, and his hope to return crushed.

"Riku, get someone to dispose of this filth. I do not want to see him until the morrow, and I will not be disturbed in my quarters, do you understand?"

"Aye, captain," said he, bowing softly and watching the retreating form of his older brother. He sighed softly, a bit frustrated with him, but he turned to more important matters: Sora.

Defeated, the stowaway was sitting helplessly on the deck, his legs slightly folded, his arms limp and resting at his sides, hands lying lifelessly on the wood below him. He looked so incredibly adorable and amazingly elegant, even on this ship wreck of a boat. Alas, he was still so very fragile as well, and already he could the signs of depression sinking into the poor lad.

Sighing softly, he helped the boy to his feet, and gently, he shooed the other crew members off so he could talk to the brown haired wonder alone. Once gone, Riku gently pulled Sora away from the middle of the deck and to the side of the lurching ship, looking out over the spread of wide sea and seeing but a spot of land.

"That's your island, mate. Say goodbye to it while you can," he whispered softly, knowing that that was what was on the inexperienced mind of the young teen. And that was when tears began to fill those beautiful, cerulean eyes that positively melted him and instantly he felt sorrow for him.

However, Sora turned his head away and did not look at the seaman that was trying to help him. He suddenly felt very sick, but not from the lurching movements of the ship. The desire to return to his home and the regret of trying to go after his mother's items suddenly sunk in with a heavy air that seemed to suffocate him.

Riku couldn't stand it, for what reason he could not tell, but he wanted to take the poor child into his arms and comfort him and assure him that everything was going to be ok... But that was one promise he could not keep. He _didn't_ know if everything was going to be alright, for Sephiroth was Captain and he had pleasured in torture before, though recently he had become very quiet... Deciding to take Sora's mind away from things slowly, Riku began to speak, very softly, so that only the stowaway could hear.

"You will learn to love the sea, Sora." His face turned to the expanse of raw blue and green and a smile spread upon his thin lips. "When I look at the sea and smell that sea air, I feel like my heart is swelling with life- the depths call to me every day I am on shore. I feel at peace here, on deck, with my crew- no, my _family_. You can never know just how much the sea affects you until you are on it." It seemed to have gotten the brown haired teen's attention, for he was now looking at Riku, but not amazed as he had imagined it would be, in fact it was slightly disgusted.

"Yeah, well... the sea to me is a plague of corruption that sails one group of thieves to the next. With boats come disease and thievery and a bunch of selfish men who don't care that it is _their_ fault for ruining someone's way of life. With boats come bandits and murders and _pirates_ who steal from innocent families just trying to make a living on their own. The sea is ugly when you're upon it, especially if you are on a ship!" Sora said, through unimaginable tears that threatened to spill like a dam breaking.

He never would have imagined that this was the way Sora could feel about the ocean. It was so different from his own thoughts.

"Maybe you have experienced the bad side of it, but there are good sides as well." Riku said, staying calm. "Yes, I admit that ships bring disease and sometimes thieves and other treacherous things, but it also brings adventures and thrills you could never know upon land! It can be a desperate struggle between life and death or it could be a mellow, relaxing cruise along the coast of an island. Ships can bring riches untold and plunders so great that even kings and queens would envy you." He tossed his hand out in a gesture of importance and waved around, bringing Sora's eyes around the boat and yet Sora didn't seem to soften.

"All you pirates ever think about is money. You'd sacrifice someone else's life so you can have your stupid 'adventures' and-"

"No," Riku cut him off, angry now. "We sacrifice no lives but our own, and we protect ourselves when needed."

Sora was taken aback by this, rendered immobile and speechless for a moment, but just as he was about to respond, a crew member bombarded their presences and gently touched Riku's arm.

"The Captain wants to see you about the boy," a low, cool voice. Riku looked up and smiled slightly, exasperated, then moved past the two and flicked his head towards Sora, signaling that the other should watch over him for the time being.

Now in a bad, yet confused mood, Sora just sighed and looked out at the island that was quickly disappearing. Within the next hour it would be gone completely from his sight...

Depressing as it was, and as stubborn as Sora had been when talking to Riku, a part of him wanted to do this, taking Riku's words to heart and sought adventure. The thought of being on a real pirate ship was, indeed, scary, but also enthralling. A smile tugged at Sora's lips slightly.

"What are you so happy about? You could be killed," said the man that was now watching over him.

He tilted his cerulean eyes up to the tall, brown haired man before him. "I'm not happy, what makes you say that?"

But he got no response but a glare. Pouting a little, his depression still not gone, he just turned his gaze back to his island, closed his eyes and said goodbye. A few tears slipped down his face, but he hid them, turning his face away from the other man, but he couldn't really hide the hiccup that came after and he sniffled, rubbing his nose on the back of his hand.

Even if the man had heard him, he didn't acknowledge that anything had happened, probably for good reason. He was tired and felt like he needed more sleep, though he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon because he certainly wasn't accustomed to sleeping on decks and ships and the like.

"So, stowaway, how do you like the ship?" said a kind, gentle voice. He turned to look at the owner of such kind words, but his face fell into a glower when he saw who it was.

Tidus stared back at him, the annoying cause of all his current problems, and now he was acting like it was _his_ fault for getting stuck on this damned thing? Everything about him seemed to annoy him right now- his blonde hair, the way one pant leg was longer than the other, his small form, his stupid eyes, his stupid, falsely kind voice.

"Why are you doing this?" Sora asked, angry now. "Why are you acting so kindly towards me when you know that you are the one that is responsible for my soon to be death? Do you do it to taunt me? Do you do it to make fun of my misfortune? Stay away from me!"

Tidus was surprised greatly at this outburst, and had even taken a step back when Sora had taken one forward, but another crew member had heard the commotion and had stepped between he and Tidus.

"You want to blame him for your own actions, man? You were the one that ran after him, and you saw him go aboard the ship and you were the one that decided to come after him," said a red head who looked awfully buff for his age and the stowaway had to admit that he was frightened, but he would not lose this battle.

"He shouldn't have stole my mother's work in the first place! If he hadn't, I wouldn't have had to chase after him to get them! Stealing is wrong and cowardly and you're all just stupid, soulless men looking for the easy way out in life!" He was grabbed by the collar and yanked off his feet and met with the newcomers face in his, and his eyes widened slightly.

"You think this is easy? You think you know everything there is about being a god damned pirate, man? You don't know anything and you'll find that out real soon you ignorant piece of island crap."

This was going too far.

Immediately, Sora swung out and clipped him right in the jaw, sending the man's face to the side, and when Sora realized what he'd done, he instantly regretted it, but it was too late for apologies. He was thrown to the ground and a sharp pain erupted in his stomach where he received a good kick. However, on the ground he was not for long, for he was lifted again and tossed to some new crew members. People had begun to gather because of the fight and many were glad to help.

Sora was held, hands behind his back and head jerked back, and he received another hit to his stomach and he cried out in pain, writhing to free himself from the grips of the crew members. His face was let go of, only to be forced to the side with an intense _crack_ to his jaw and he clenched his eyes shut, whimpering, again, in pain.

In Sephiroth's cabin sat Riku and the Captain, speaking softly of the matter at hand. Sora was a stowaway, and normally stowaways were killed in the worst possible way, but Riku had taken a fancy to the little one and wanted to keep him around for his own reasons. With much deliberation, he had convinced his brother that Sora could make up for the extra hands that they were short of and that he could prove to be useful when needed. Other than that, they spoke of the regular- treasure and next location, stock and provisions and crew member performances.

In the middle of the discussion, Rku was suddenly interrupted by his brother.

"Seems the crew is having a bit of a fight outside," he said knowingly, smirking slightly and taking a swig of wine from his goblet, still looking at the map before him.

Riku stopped immediately and listened. It didn't sound like a normal fight, where seamen were trying to break up the fight, no. It sounded like they were... cheering? Egging them on? He stood and sighed, confused and bowed to the captain.

"I'll take care of it."

He moved his feet, left right, left right until he was upon the deck and the sight that was before him astounded and shocked him. Anger flooded him, took over his entire body and he stormed forward, blinded by his rage. Into the fight he went and he threw and shoved every man out of the way until he came upon Wakka and slammed his fist into his jaw, sending the surprised crew member back, and then he whirled, ready to throw a punch at the ones holding the small stowaway, but they dropped him immediately and he turned to the suddenly silent crew.

"What the _hell_ do you think you buffoons are doing? By what order or permission did you have to lay even a single finger on this kid? Huh?"

Wakka held his face, just looking at him with pure anger.

"Answer me, now!" he yelled, making some take a step back. "That's what I thought. Get your asses out of here and scrub the deck. I want to see everything organized and sparkling or I'll wipe the deck with your faces, now hurry up!" barked he, chest heaving in rage. The crew scuttled away, but Riku grabbed one by the arm.

"Leon, I told you to watch him." He growled slowly, staring into his eyes. Said Leon gave no response, only looked away. Disappointed in him, Riku shoved him away and finally turned his attention back to the poor, beaten boy on the deck. He grabbed him and lifted him, earning a small hiss of pain from the brown haired beauty, and he carried him back to his own cabin below deck, and laid him upon the bed.

There were a total of three cabins. Technically, the largest of them was the cabin for the crew, but it was so crammed by cots and hammocks that there was barely enough room to change clothes without smacking the person next to or behind someone. The second largest was the Captains, of course, shared with no one but himself, and the smallest, but much roomier than the spaces in the crew cabin was the first mate's cabin. It was here that Riku had placed the young stowaway and it was here he called the doctor of the ship to, to address the small brunette's wounds and bruises. Leaving him to the doctor, Riku left his cabin and went back to the Captains chambers, sighing deeply as he told him the situation.

Sora groaned in pain and whimpered when the doctor touched his bruises with a small amount of herb cream. He couldn't believe that this was how his first day on the ship had turned out. Now that he thought about it, his mother always said he had a sharp tongue. It occurred to him then that, no matter what he did, there would be no return to his small island life and there would be no return to the ways he had once known. It was a pirates life now, and if he couldn't beat them, he'd have to join them...

88

Scythe: So... I was reallllllyyy disappointed with the number of reviews I got for the first chapter... I'm just assuming my summary is shit because I really think this is going to be a spectacular fic. It's gotten a TON of hits, but no one is freaking REVIEWING... Please, please, please REVIEW, I strive upon your feedback. ;; But I will not give up, I will do what I can to make this better and hopefully gain more popularity.


	3. Chapter 3

Scythe: So… This is awkward. I started attending college and so I fell off the face of the planet. However, I revisited the ol' FFnet and read this story and realized how much potential it had. I'm not sure where I was going with it, but I am full of fresh ideas and hope my writing is still good, if not better now that I'm not so young?

If any of you are still reading this, I appreciate it and hope that you will let me know what you think of this and if I should bother continuing.

Disclaimer: I'm not getting profit, nor am I trying to gain any; I simply want to indulge in my fantasies and let others see it as well.

**Stowaway Chapter 3**

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The next thing Sora knew, it was morning. The sloshing of the ship from side to side woke him none to gently and the brunette was acutely aware of the aching all over his body. Trying to sit up, he winced inwardly, the events of the previous—day? Night?—rushing back to him. How long had he been out? His eyes tried to focus on the wood in front of him before he forced himself to squeeze them tightly shut to clear the morning haze. When he opened them again, he took a deep breath, his senses and wits returning to him slowly.

Goodness he was parched. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and with a loud smacking he tried to stimulate his tongue to produce more saliva, but to no avail. His throat felt scratchy, no doubt from all the screaming he'd done during the fight.

…The weight of the situation suddenly dawned on him again and he felt the deepest sink in his stomach that made him almost ill. The queasy feeling was subdued when he lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. What did he do to deserve this? Hadn't he always been selfless and kind? Hadn't he always loved him family and done what they asked him to? Hadn't he always taken care of his parents and friends and… Ashlin. Oh, Ashlin, his beautiful horse. A swell of emotion surged over him, much like the waves were doing in the sea outside. Who would take care of his horse now? And what the hell would his parents think? Surely not that he ran away? They would have to piece it together what with the stolen goods all around the island. They'd know something bad happened to him. Would they assume he was dead? He chuckled hopelessly. Who was he kidding? Of course they would assume he was dead. Sora would have done the same if he had woken up and his parents were missing and he'd learned that pirates had plundered the whole island...

"You're awake."

Sora quickly bolted up, looking behind him, and regretting it instantly. Though he tried to hide it, his face began to contort in pain from the bruises and tender muscles of his stomach. The one called Riku had entered—soundlessly, Sora noted with annoyance—and was now looking down at him with those incredibly iced blue eyes. How had he not heard him enter?

"You probably shouldn't try to move," he purred amusedly. Sora frowned. Yeah, laugh it up, pretty boy… He turned away from the silver haired pirate with that thought, trying not to let him see the anger that boiled just underneath the surface of his skin. "Well, that's what I'd like to say anyways. Today you start your duties."

Sora refused to look, even though he was shocked. They wouldn't even let him recover? Screw this. Had he really been tempted by the idea of adventure? Now he just couldn't see why.

"…This will be a whole lot easier if you just cooperate, stowaway." Riku said, his icy tone now matching his eyes. Sora risked a peek over his shoulder. The first mate couldn't help but be amused, admiring the cute boy in front of him that lay in his bed.

"How long was I out…?" Sora asked carefully, his voice hardly above a weak whisper.

"Just one day and one night. We decided to let you sleep and recover from the stress since you'd be no good to us if you can't do your part onboard." There was a slight pause before Riku finally moved from the door towards his captive. It was then that Sora noticed rations and water in his hands that were gently placed before him. Without any further conversation, Riku departed and left him to his food. Sora slowly let his sorrow consume him and hung his head as the door shut behind him.

Outside, the air was crisp and salty, just the way that Riku liked it. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the waters were just choppy enough to give the boat that steady rhythm that put him at ease. Perfection. It was a sanctuary that calmed his now erratic soul.

And how could he not be stirred by the boy in his cabin? Riku had never had to test the strength of his will so much as he did with this boy that lay so temptingly in his bed. Oh, how life liked to tease him. However, this was perhaps the last moment this brown-haired beauty would be in his bed for a while, considering the crew was getting restless with the unfair treatment. He'd convinced the crew and Captain that he had to make sure no one would attempt to kill him while he was injured, but in reality he simply wanted the boy to himself.

How selfish of me, Riku thought, though it amused him more than anything. He'd been so bored for so, so long, and now this golden egg had landed right in his lap. He was feisty, independent, head-strong, and unpredictable and it made Riku's blood hot with excitement.

A creaking of his cabin door informed him that Sora was emerging, and when he lazily turned his eyes to see, he was met with such an adorable sight. Sora peeked through the door, shyly holding the water jug in one hand and checking his surroundings cautiously before making his wobbly way over to Riku.

"I see you don't quite have your sea legs," the older boy teased, before the shorter could even say anything. He received a cute little frown.

"How could I? I've been horizontal since I got on this stupid ship." He looked away, out at the sea. He would have to dull that sharp tongue. He let it slide for now, allowing his mind to delight in the idea of teaching this boy who was boss around here. Sora stood awkwardly, clutching the water jug to himself and trying to steady himself against the side of the ship with the other. "…Thank you." He said, shoving the water jug towards Riku, keeping his gaze on the sea, a faint blush of embarrassment tinting his cheeks.

This boy kept surprising him. Riku snatched the jug away with a dashing smile, causing the brunette to flinch and look at him. Perfect. "My pleasure."

The word rolled off his tongue seductively, though it wasn't intentional, Sora noticed. Riku just seemed to have that natural sort of aura about him. Seductive? Maybe that wasn't the best word to use, Sora's mind corrected, raising a red flag. He just couldn't think of any other word to describe it. It wasn't like he was attracted to him or anything. Yeah. It was just… something about Riku drew people in. He could tell even with his short time amongst the crew that it was just… there. Whatever 'it' was.

"…Yes?"

Sora's eyes snapped wide for a moment, and then he blushed and looked away, realizing he was staring again. Shit.

"S-sorry. I'm just tired… Still waking up." He covered quickly. Riku made a soft 'hmming' noise, as if he was thinking out it, and then just smiled and left. Now Sora felt really awkward. What the hell was he supposed to do, just stand here? He was not looking forward to the rest of the day…

**

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Surprisingly, the chores were easy to learn, and the crew was actually helpful, though he was sure that it was more because he was doing their work than them actually liking him. They were more than willing to teach him and let him do it by himself, but he decided he much preferred that than them being mean to him… Not that they were being particularly nice. It was, however, a huge improvement from the beating he got from them the first time they met.

The chores actually calmed him, he noticed. He was able to zone out and think, concentrating on his own problems rather than thinking about the crew around him. He was so used to doing manual labor that he didn't fatigue as quickly as the crew thought he would, even with his injuries and being emotionally drained. Troublingly, his mind kept drifting back to Riku, the first mate. The cerulean eyes lifted and searched for him as he swabbed the deck, trying to be discreet, although he didn't know why, until his eyes locked onto the man that stood tall against the railing of the ship. The sea breeze sifted through his hair and gently pushed it out of his face, giving Sora a better view at the contemplative, yet distant stare that he was giving to the horizon. The stowaway wondered what he could be thinking…

"There's just something about him, isn't there?" A chilling voice said, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine that made him jump in surprise. He looked up at the man, giving him a puzzled stare.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about…" The crew member lazily shifted his gaze from Sora, to Riku, then back.

"My name is Jean (1)." He gave him a smile, but Sora felt it was forced. He didn't reply. The brown haired boy simply stared up at him, and the quieter he got, the more Jean seemed to simmer with anger beneath the surface of his façade. "Are you deaf, kid?" The tiniest hint of poison seemed to coat the words, and immediately Sora felt uneasy.

"Nice to meet you," He obliged, continuing to scrub. To his surprise, Jean stooped down with him and began to help. An awkwardness permeated Sora's senses, but he tried not to show it, giving him a weak, appreciative smile. Where had everyone else gone? The brunette was peering around carefully, keeping his guard up.

"So…" Jean started, trying to make conversation. "Since you'll be staying here with us for quite some time, I can tell you about the crew if you'd like. Maybe that way you can make friends easier."

Why did he feel like there was some underlying motive, here? And yet… Sora's eyes drifted back to Riku for a moment, lingering a bit too long before he furrowed his brow and continued to scrub. Jean looked around, as if trying to find someone to talk about. He began to explain a little about himself, though everything was vague and didn't really tell Sora anything about who he truly was, but then he began talking about everyone else. Soon, Sora was losing track of time, actually quite interested in the colorful crew. He found himself fully engaged and even smiling and chuckling at some of the funny bits, but he was really waiting for him to talk about that silver haired boy… the one with the shorter hair.

"Well, let's see. Sephiroth is the Captain, the first mate is Riku—they're brothers—and one thing you have to know about Sephiroth is that he is unpredictable and it's a terrible thing to be on his bad side," Jean said, and the brunette's ears perked as he prattled on. Come on, come on, get to the good stuff already. "And then Riku is his own sort of entity, if you will. Loyal to a fault and a man of few words most of the time. Although, I guess you don't need very many words to woo a girl these days. He's got a different one each time we make port." He chortled, as if this was a good thing. Sora felt a sting of disappointment, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps his values clashed with the behavior he wouldn't have expected from such a man he had come to respect already. How sad… they really are all the same, he thought, refraining from shaking his head in disgust. "But… You don't want to make Riku angry." He continued, his tone suddenly taking a very serious tune, and the younger boy could hear an edge of very real fear behind those words. "Riku can have a bad temper, and a manipulative nature… Be careful with him." The crew member paused for a short moment, then sat back on his heels and wiped his hands on his pants before standing. "Dinner will probably be served up soon. Finish up and come down." And with that he winked and left him.

Cerulean eyes watched him go before looking down at the hands that scrubbed before tossing the scrubber into the bucket and standing. His back ached with the stress he'd put on it all day, so he counter-stretched, his back cracking in various places and allowing a deep sigh to escape his lips.

This sucked. Big time. How had his life turned so completely upside down? Because he had to be all noble and try to do something good for his family? Aw, who was he kidding… He knew he would have done it again in a heartbeat.

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Dinner was lively and loud, and on the bright side he wasn't feeling as if everyone wanted to kill him, so that was nice. He had demanded a small amount of respect with how much back-breaking labor he'd done that day without so much as fussing or showing his exhaustion. And boy, was he exhausted. His legs and arms felt like jelly, and his eye lids were beginning to feel heavy on his face. Sleep would be nice.

He had already been shown around by different members of crew, set up his own cot, and told the rules of the ship. It was all too much for one day and his brain felt like it was going to explode. Completely overwhelmed he felt, and even chewing was tiring. After a while, he simply gave up.

"You gonna eat that?" The one next to him asked with a grin. He blinked over at him and realized it was Tidus: The brat that got him into this damn mess. For a moment, he seriously considered shoving the food into his face with the wave of anger that erupted in him, but it soon died down when his rational mind kicked in. He didn't want it to be him against the entire ship, after all. Finally, he just pushed the food over to him and put his chin in his hand, supported by his elbow on the table. He didn't look him in the eye. "Thank you!" He accepted gratefully. "Look, I bet you're thinkin' you bein' here is all my fault. I hope you don't have those hard feelings or anything… I really am sorry but if I don't come back with somethin'—"

"—you don't come back at all, yeah I know," Sora interjected. The boy was right in a sense.

What? No he was _not_, his mind thought with a flash. It's never ok to steal. Ever. Ugh, he was so confused now. Was he already starting to think like a pirate? Fantastic. Then again… he realized already that it wasn't about the money and the violence, but the _survival_ in this cruel world. Not everyone was as lucky as he was with a roof over his head and good food to eat and a loving family.

… Was he seriously rationalizing this?

Without saying anything to the one called Tidus, he stood and excused himself. He felt sick.

* * *

Astonishingly, he fell asleep rather easily that night despite being in such a different place and state of mind. It was probably because he was so exhausted. In fact, everyone was. All the excitement with Sora being onboard had taken its toll on everyone. He still didn't have any friends, but then again, he hadn't really been making the effort. He wasn't exactly planning to stay on this damned boat for very long. In fact, the next port, he'd be skipping ship. There was no way in hell these people could keep him here, and there had to be someone out there willing to take him back to his island if he paid them. Even now, he dreamed of his escape.

The boat creaked about the sleeping crew, sloshing back and forth slowly and dully. The night was so peaceful, and the moon was a small, waning crescent, lending its small amount of bluish light to the wooden deck and heaving waters below. The shadows moved and slithered about, moving from the edges of the ship in towards the cabins in creepy, human-like movements. In fact, the more Leon stared, the more they really did look human. His eyes widened and he whirled around in the crow's nest, desperately searching the blackness that was the sea for any sign of another ship. He couldn't see anything.

Shit.

He swung himself down and quickly descended, and when the intruders noticed, they immediately sprung up to meet him.

"OI! We've got company!" Leon shouted, drawing his sword. "GET UP!" The next few moments were a blur. Leon took them on as crew started pouring from the cabin up onto the deck, and more intruders began to crawl up the sides of the ship.

Sora was awakened by the sounds of shouting and clanging, and immediately his heart began to race. The panic he felt rising in his gut only caused the adrenaline in his system to go into overload and shoot through him at an alarming rate. In an instant, he was on his feet, hands trembling slightly. What was he supposed to do? He knew exactly what was going on, and yet he couldn't move to help.

"What are you doing, Sora? Come on!" It was the blond one. Cloud was it? His eyes shifted to him, and yet he still couldn't bring himself to move. He was terrified. Cloud was about to shout something else, but Sora pointed behind him.

"Look out!" And Cloud spun to meet the attacker head on, shoving him back with his sword. The words must have freed him, because suddenly he was moving towards the cabin door, climbing the steps to where Cloud had just been looking down in at him, and surfacing to the deck where the commotion was happening all too quickly. His mind was over-stimulated with violence and noise all around him, and all he could do was look around in a panic. He didn't have a sword, he didn't even really know how to fight! However, he wasn't stupid. He could tell that his own crew was dominating, and this made him feel a bit of relief, even bringing a determined smile to his face.

"Sora!" He turned towards the familiar voice, seeing Riku running towards him. But he wasn't looking at him… he was looking… His body turned, eyes widening at a dark-haired man with a raised sword, about to strike. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, staring up at Riku and the attacker locked in battle. He'd been shoved out of the way, Riku somehow getting to him just in time. He covered his face, chest heaving with his labored, panicked breathing. There was shouting around him, but it sounded as if it was muffled, his ears ringing and his head pounding with the stress all about him.

And then he was being dragged somewhere, he didn't quite know where, but he was pushed into a small, dark place. Ow… Why did his head hurt so badly?

"—ora… s…ra…SORA!" his hearing suddenly returned and he gasped softly for air, clutching onto the man pressed against him and burying his face into his chest, hands trembling. "Are you ok? Speak!"

"S-stop yelling." He whimpered, moving to cover his ears. A moment passed, and all that could be heard was their breathing, and finally blue eyes met cerulean when the brunette looked up. Oh. Oh, dear. Riku? His hands slowly fell from the sides of his face to hang at his sides, his back against the wall and his legs wanting to give out from under him. A deafening silence rolled over them, but Sora was acutely aware of Riku's body pressed up against his in the tight space, and it was starting to get a little too hot for his liking. He could tell his face was red, glad there was not enough light passing through the cracks in the wood to reveal his moment of weakness.

"Are you alright?" Riku whispered softly, touching his face, head, neck. "He gave you a pretty good whack back there." Oh, so he had been hit. No wonder his head hurt. He was probably bleeding, judging by the warm feeling that was slowly making it's way down his forehead.

His voice could barely reach above a hoarse whisper: "I think so…"

"Just stay in here and don't move, do you understand?" Sora said nothing, looking up at the face that was dimly lit before him in this tiny closet. Riku's hands were on either side of the brunette's head now, resting on the wall. "Ok?" The icy blue eyes searched his own. Even in the dark they appeared as if they were almost glowing. How beautiful…

And then his vision went black.

* * *

Scythe: Yeap. There it is. What'd you think? I need to know because I can definitely use my time to do other things. I apologize if there were any dead spots, or spots that seemed forced/slow. D; I'm working to get back in the groove of writing.

AN's: (1) Formerly, I referred to him as Jeanne, with the pronunciation of John with the soft J (as in French) but I wanted to spell it correctly. It bothered me when I read this again… so I changed it. Hope you all don't mind.


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